Project Data:

Completion Date:     7/12/2021

Square Footage:      6842

Building Use:           Single Family Residential

Project Description:

This 7,000-square-foot remodel of an existing 1974 church encompassed architecture, interior design, and landscape. And while the abundance of space is usually a luxury in Southern California homes, creating a warm indoor-outdoor family home within this sprawling abandoned church facility was a challenge that required a delicate, but sometimes firm hand. Through careful editing, and selected interventions, this 70’s style church took on a personal scale while still maintaining the spirit of the original. A use of earth toned materials, including iron spotted brick, Douglas fir, and polished concrete, warmed the residence; while the introduction of glass, and a well-crafted landscape, brought a meaningful connection to the larger contest.

Internally the program was broken into three primary areas: living, master suite, and kid zone – all rotating about the central entry. Externally these three wings created several courtyards including a forecourt for entry, private patio, and a Jeffersonian open courtyard that beckoned one down the hillside to the pool beyond. A use of weathering steel terraces helped to scale the property and the introduction of overhead canopies brought the scale down to create several intimate settings for family and friends to gather.

Firm Name:              Laidlaw Schultz architects

Completion Date:     7/12/2021

Square Footage:      6842

Building Use:           Single Family Residential

Location:                 Laguna Beach

Project Description:
Design for Change
A prime example of how a structure, if considered thoughtfully, can effectively change over time. This residence, once a church, was taken through a surprising transformation as it morphed from a place of worship and community gathering to a quintessential indoor/outdoor California style home. The central concept of the residence was the connection between interior and exterior; being able to blur the line between two opposing states to achieve a design that maintains its sacred and profound qualities of the original program, while being equally casual and comfortable in its day to day living for the current occupants.

Design for Well-being, Design for Integration, Design for Energy
The use of glass and an open floor plan offers a level of visual transparency that pulls occupants through the house from the entry courtyard, with its original Pepper tree planted generations ago, to the back patio, with its ocean view beyond. Natural materials make up the palette for the exterior, reinforcing the mission statement, while inside these same earth tones create a definitive link to the site. These decisions not only link the home to the site but also provide the home with a lightness, simplicity, and ease. Added program, such as a loft and stair bring the structure to a more residential scale while allowing the existing high ceilings to maintain their original ecclesiastical scale that once existed.

Staying true to the initial design allows the architecture to remain an oasis and sanctuary, while a new program brought in another meaning to the whole. Embracing the challenges of a very one-of-a-kind project, the repurpose of an existing church, led to a transformation of resilient design where the original beauty is maintained, the architecture could thrive, and a new generation could embrace the environment of which it is a part.

Design Architect:
Scott Laidlaw

Associate Architect or Firm:

Landscape Architect:
Carolina Vergara Landscape Studio

Owner / Developer:
Mr. and Mrs. Duensing

Engineer:
Mike Gabriel - Structural Engineernig
Toal - Civil Engineering

General Contractor:
Joe Kramer

Consultant:

Photographer:
M E L L O N . S T U D I O